Author: Janine Assis

Just as this nightmare began, I once again find myself bound, destination unknown. However, this time, my kidnapper is the man who shattered my world beyond repair.

Aleksei Popov—Russia’s number one mobster, and the man I was sold to.

His intentions for me are clear—submit, obey him, and call him master—but I won’t surrender. I’m not like the other girls. Whether that’s a blessing or curse, I’ve yet to decide. The problem is, my disobedience intrigues my captor all the more.

When we arrive in Russia, the rules change.

Saint, the man who was once a sinner, is my only salvation. What was forbidden now gives me hope that there is light in the darkness. He will risk everything to set me free.

But behind these opulent walls, things aren’t what they seem, and when the fine line between pleasure and pain begins to blur, only one thing matters—saving my soul.

I will lie.

Cheat.

Steal.

I was once an angel, but now…I’m a fallen saint, ready to inflict my own pain and burn this hellhole to the ground.

“Kneel.”

Without question, I slowly rise from the bed and follow Saint to the middle of the room. When he positions himself so Aleksei can see, I know what I have to do.

I drop to my knees and bow my head.

“Oh my.” A stunned gasp leaves Aleksei. “That is incredible. Just like a trained dog.”

Before I have a chance to reply, Saint reaches down and grips my chin, forcing me to look up at him. I arch my neck, locking eyes with him. The amber swirls mingle among the flecks of green and set me alight. He is barely holding on.

“мастеp,” I say, louder this time.

“Good girl.” He releases me while I sag forward in humiliation. “You know what happens when you disobey me?”

“Yes, мастеp.” The truth is, I don’t know what punishment he intends to deliver. He reveals what a moment later.

“Lift your dress.”

And just like that, I’m transported back to the night when Saint first struck me with his belt.

I know for this to be believable, Saint has to make the punishments credible. But the thought of being hit again has me whimpering.

“I said lift your fucking dress.” Saint’s tone is venomous. With no other choice, I do as he demands.

When I hear his belt being unbuckled and threaded through the loops of his pants, I brace myself for what comes next.

My back faces Aleksei, so he has a clear view of my ass. My lace underwear leaves nothing to the imagination, but it appears he wants more. “Take them off.”

I lock eyes with Saint, begging he doesn’t force me to bow to this pervert’s demands, but he maintains his apathetic façade. Yet underneath this disguise, I know he’ll always protect me.

“With all due respect, Aleksei, you asked me to show you, so please allow me to do my job.” Being called a job causes me to flinch as though he kicked me in the guts. I know it’s part of the plan, but it’s hard not to get lost in the past.

Saint walks around me and kicks my legs apart. I suppress the need to scream. He doesn’t give me any warning. I hear the vicious hiss slicing through the air just before the pain hits me. With a loud grunt, I propel forward but remain kneeling.

My ass throbs from where Saint brought down his belt, but I know he could have struck me a lot harder. When he hits me over the back of my thighs, I whimper but remain upright. This strike was softer than the first.

“Are you sure?” Even though Saint barely breaks a sweat from hitting me, his breathlessness reveals it’s taking every ounce of his willpower not to kill Aleksei.

When I hear the belt being swung into position, I cry out, “Yes! Yes. I’m sorry. I won’t d-do it again.”

I brace myself for another strike, but it doesn’t come. “Put down your dress.”

With shaky hands, I do as he says.

Since I’m facing away from Saint, I can’t see what’s going on, but I’m guessing from the silence it’s not good.

“That’s it?” Aleksei is far from impressed. It seems he will only be satisfied when I’m crying out in pain and begging for mercy.

“Yes. She submitted, did she not?”

Silence.

The air is thick with challenge. Saint’s methods aren’t satisfactory because Aleksei knows he could have been a lot crueler.

“She fought me like a wild cat. I think she likes you.”

My cheeks heat, but I squash down my embarrassment because this exercise was supposed to convince Aleksei otherwise. I quickly rack my brain, hoping to prove Aleksei wrong, but Saint is two steps ahead.

“She fears me,” he argues. “She doesn’t know you yet, but I’ve broken her. Just allow me to spend more time with her, and I promise, she will fear you too. I’m the only one who can break her.”

“Very well. But if your methods don’t prove satisfactory, and I don’t see a change very soon, I will take over. Are we clear?”

My blood turns cold.

“We’re clear,” Saint replies with bite.

“I won’t have her behaving like a rabid dog because you know what happens to them?” Aleksei pauses while the room drops ten thousand degrees. “I shoot them.”

Make no mistake, he’s warning us both.

Saint grips the back of my neck, hinting I’m to stand. When I do, he leads me back over to the bed. He won’t look at me, and the detachment has me getting onto the bed, desperate for them to leave so I can process this on my own. Without him asking, I place my arms over my head after I lie down.

A tear leaks from my eye when he cuffs me, but I turn my cheek so he can’t see.

“Let’s go into my office. We have some things to discuss.” Just as Saint moves to rise, Aleksei says something which has me questioning how good of an actress I really am. “Gag her. You said she was shouting earlier.”

You’re going to be a good little girl, aren’t you, Willow?

I suddenly find it impossible to breathe.

I’m moments away from blowing our ruse when a tender caress floats across my flank. Though it’s a subtle touch, it’s enough. “That’s not necessary. She won’t scream.” Saint recognizes my panic; he knows what memories claw to the surface when I’m gagged.

“I said gag her,” Aleksei perseveres, needing to hold on to some semblance of control.

I know I told Saint to do whatever it takes, but that’s my hard limit, so I don’t know if I can stomach that. But I should know by now that Saint will always be the alpha. “Aleksei, you just said you’re willing to allow me to do this my way. Are you going back on your word?”

I don’t know why his word is so important. He’s a fucking criminal, for god’s sake. But I remember Saint saying that Aleksei does hold some honor among his men. I can only hope he’s right.

“So be it. But if I hear a peep out of her, it’ll be the last for quite some time.”

I gulp as his threat is filled with promise.

“She’ll be quiet,” Saint assures, speaking for me as he knows I’m close to breaking. “Let’s go.”

When he rises from the bed, I turn my cheek to look at him. But when I lock eyes with Aleksei instead, I realize I have to be more careful. Although we have convinced him today, tomorrow may not be as easy.

Saint doesn’t look back and is quick to leave. I soon find out why that is.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Aleksei blocks the doorway while I watch on in horror. He’s going to kill Saint and make me watch. We haven’t fooled him at all.

When Saint reaches into his pocket and produces the key to my cuffs, I sense he has a plan after all. Aleksei seems disappointed he surrendered it so easily.

Saint opens the door, hinting for Aleksei to move. He eventually does but not before he grins my way. The gesture sends a shiver down my spine.

Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.

When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.

She is a bestselling author in the U.S.A., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.

Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.

The underworld of Chicago is far from forgiving. It’s a
world where knowledge means power, power money, and money everything.While I paid the ultimate price to have it all, it wasn’t my
decision to give up my life.

That doesn’t mean I ceased to exist, only to live.

Going where the job takes me and living in the shadows, with
deadly accuracy I utilize the skills inherent to me, not knowing from where
they came, not recalling what I’d lost.

And then I saw her.

Laurel Carlson.

I shouldn’t want her, desire her, or need her, yet with each
sighting I know she is exactly what I have to have. Laurel has the ability to
do what I thought was impossible. She sees what others don’t.

My gut tells me that it’s a deadly mistake to change my
plans and open my world to her. My mind says she’ll be repulsed by my twisted
existence.

None of that matters, because my body won’t take no for an
answer.

I’ve made dangerous mistakes before.

This time, will the price be too high?

From New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a
brand-new dark romance bringing us back to the same dangerous underworld as
SECRETS. You do not need to read the Web of Sin trilogy to get caught in this
new and intriguing saga, Tangled Web.

TWISTED is book one of the TANGLED WEB trilogy which will
continue in OBSESSED and conclude in BOUND.

Have you been Aleatha’d?

First of all: I’m out of the shame corner! I’ve read my first Aleatha book! For years friends tell me to read her books, but I think I was scared. I was a fool. I loved her writing style, fell in love with Laurel and can’t wait to read more. It was a roller-coaster of a book, changing directions at every turn and keeping you guessing until the last line! Can I have the next book now, please?

Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street
Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She grew
up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living
south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school
sweetheart and husband of over thirty years. Before she became a full-time
author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing.
Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend
her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and
creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams and bring your imagination to
life!

Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in
August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and
two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story
of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers.
Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS,
in the fall of 2014. These stand alone thrillers continue Aleatha’s twisted
style with an increase in heat.

In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved head first into
the world of dark romantic suspense with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of
her five novel INFIDELITY series that has taken the reading world by storm. She
also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books
INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were published through this
mystery/thriller publisher in 2016.

In the spring of 2017, Aleatha released her first
stand-alone, fun, and sexy romantic comedy with PLUS ONE, followed by the sweet
stand-alone, ONE NIGHT.

Aleatha is a “Published Author’s Network”
member of the Romance Writers of America and PEN America. She is
represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

A car accident stole her parents and left her with the second-worst documented case of amnesia in the world. She now has only minutes of experiences, of consciousness, of life…before her memory is wiped clean. The once effervescent artist with a promising future is reduced to scribbling with pens and paper, living an empty, quiet life, three hundred seconds at a time.

Jim Whelan is on autopilot.

A foster kid shuffled around the system since birth, he’s lived his entire life without knowing love…and it’s taken its toll—until he learned to fight back, carry his armor, and keep his head down.

Working as an orderly in the Blue Ridge Sanitarium, deep in Virginia countryside, Jim looked up…and found Thea.

When Thea has the chance to break free of her five-minute prison with a risky, experimental surgery, it could lead them both to an epic love they never thought possible… or one that could require the ultimate sacrifice.

Wow. I really don’t know how to write this review. Nothing that I say will be able to portray the emotions I felt while reading it. Jimmy and Thea are so complex, that I think I need another book to keep enjoying them. Emma’s writing as always is amazing and get you right in the feels. She creates a story line that gets you from the first chapter. This book is an emotional roller-coaster from beginning to finish, so buckle up! Jimmy, what to say about him? What to say about someone that has been broken for so long, but still is a good person? I think the message of this book is to believe. Believe that even broken, you deserve happiness. That even when someone is alone, help is possible. Believe in love. Believe in the beauty in life. And believe in what you see, even though other people can’t see the same. Believe and be happy.

“Marc Antony,” I said and nodded at her drawing. “Part of your Egyptian studies?”

Thea leaned her cheek on her folded hands like she was warming herself before a fire. “Marc Antony is part of the romance. A love story with Cleopatra. He went to war for her. Died for her. When they told her he was dead, she put her hand in a basket with an asp. Can you imagine? Loving someone so much that the thought of life without them is too unbearable?”

“No,” I said. “I can’t.”

Her gaze dropped to my hand on the table and her fingers reached to trace the scars on my knuckles.

These tell a story, don’t they?” She traced one of the fine lines. “You put your hand in with the snakes, too.”

I nodded slowly, savoring the feel of her warm skin on mine. “So the bullies would leave me alone.”

“And did they?”

“Eventually.”

“I’m glad.” She put her hand in mine completely, her fingers wrapping around and holding tight. “I’m being too… something. Personal. Delia would throw a fit, but I feel like…”

“Like what, Thea?”

“Like I have to hold on to this moment, you know? Or you… I don’t even know you and yet I don’t want to stop talking to you.” Her hand squeezed mine. “I don’t care if you have a stutter, but please keep talking to me, Jimmy. Okay?”

My mouth went dry at the nameless desperation in her eyes.

Jesus, does she know she’s trapped? She can’t. Impossible…

“I won’t,” I said. “I’ll talk to you every day. I promise.”

Thea breathed a small sigh of relief and released my hand. “Thank you, Jimmy. That makes me feel better.”

With a final smile—a parting smile, I realized—she took up her pen and then froze.

She’s resetting.

Confusion passed over her features. She looked up at me, flinching a little to see a big man in close proximity. I instantly leaned back to give her space.

“How long has it been?” she asked.

“Two years,” I said, my voice hardly more than a whisper. “But the doctors are working on your case.”

“Yes, they are.” She smiled hesitantly and found my nametag. “I’m Thea Hughes.”

Seven. Seven times now.

“Jim Whelan,” I said.

She offered her hand. Again. I took it robotically, enduring her one-pump shake. Again. Her fingers didn’t linger in mine but released immediately, the way you do with a stranger. Again.

“Nice to meet you, Jim Whelan.”

Fuck. I can’t do this.

I rose to my feet. “I have to get to work.”

Her face fell. “Oh. Bummer. Will I see you again?”

I could promise her I would, but she wouldn’t remember. There was no promise. I could tell her the sky was falling or my name was Abraham Lincoln and she wouldn’t know the damn difference. It’d vanish, like every other word we’d ever spoken to each other. I vanished every time her reset hit and was recreated over again in Thea’s eyes. I could be whatever I wanted; whomever I wanted. And yet she was the one woman I might’ve had a chance to be myself with.

Emma Scott is a bestselling author of emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy emotionally-charged stories that rip your heart out and put it back together again, with diverse characters and kind-hearted heroes, you will enjoy her novels.

Beth Flynn is a fiction writer who lives and works in Sapphire, North Carolina, deep within the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Beth and her husband, Jim, have spent the last 16 years in Sapphire, where they own a construction company. They have been married 30 years and have two daughters (the youngest in high school) and two dogs. In her spare time, Beth enjoys writing, reading, gardening, church and motorcycles, especially taking rides on the back of her husband’s Harley. She is a four-year breast cancer survivor.

Everything changed the night our eyes met
across the room. His green gaze upon me prickled my skin with uncustomary
warmth while my peek beneath his cuff—of a riot of color on his wrist—sparked
my insatiable curiosity. Tall and mysterious, Kader was a man whose secrets I
longed to know.

Little did I realize that the night we met was only the
beginning—the beginning to the end of the existence I knew.

What will happen as his assignment becomes our obsession?

From New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a
brand-new dark romance bringing us back to the same dangerous underworld as
SECRETS. You do not need to read the Web of Sin trilogy to get caught in this
new and intriguing saga, Tangled Web.

OBSESSED is book two of the TANGLED WEB trilogy which began
with TWISTED and will conclude with BOUND.
Have you been Aleatha’d?

Bound

New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig
brings you Bound, the dramatic conclusion to her brand-new dark romance set in
the same dangerous underworld as Secrets. You do not need to read the Web of
Sin trilogy to get caught in this highly acclaimed intriguing saga, Tangled
Web.

Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street
Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She grew
up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living
south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school
sweetheart and husband of over thirty years. Before she became a full-time
author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing.
Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend
her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and
creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams and bring your imagination to
life!

Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in
August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and
two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story
of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers.
Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS,
in the fall of 2014. These stand alone thrillers continue Aleatha’s twisted
style with an increase in heat.

In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved head first into
the world of dark romantic suspense with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of
her five novel INFIDELITY series that has taken the reading world by storm. She
also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books
INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were published through this
mystery/thriller publisher in 2016.

In the spring of 2017, Aleatha released her first
stand-alone, fun, and sexy romantic comedy with PLUS ONE, followed by the sweet
stand-alone, ONE NIGHT.

Aleatha is a “Published Author’s Network”
member of the Romance Writers of America and PEN America. She is
represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

It was supposed to be an innocent night, celebrating my brother’s birthday. Nothing was supposed to go wrong. We’d vowed to be on our best behavior after all . . .

But it only took one rowdy night with my brothers to flip my world upside down. One unlucky encounter saddled us with a family curse and the promise of doomed relationships. I laughed it off immediately. “Yeah, right,” I thought. “A love curse. Ha!”

Boy, was I wrong.

Word spreads quickly in a town like mine; rumors about that night soon made us the most eligible yet untouchable bachelors in Port Snow, Maine. As a subject of endless gossip and speculation, I could kiss my dating life goodbye.

It would have stayed that way if Ren Winters, the new girl in town, hadn’t crashed into my life. Brave, beautiful, and smart—her vivacious thirst for a fresh start has given me hope that maybe, just maybe, I can have one too.

Everyone wishes for that second chance . . . but could this really be mine?

It’s no secret that I love Meghan’s work and her writing style. She can delivery a great drama and make you read out loud with her rom-coms. For me this book is the middle ground between the two genres. A delicious small town romance, filled with family and adventure. Griffin is the perfect closed of hero and Ren is a ray of sunshine in his life. With great chemistry and awesome characters, it’s the kind of feel good romance to read on a lazy afternoon. I greatly recommend it!

I’m counting out our register drawer, trying to stay focused on the numbers whipping through my head, but it’s difficult with Reid’s constant small talk. I jot down another tally mark on the paper in front of me and set aside a stack of bills.

“Hello, are you listening?” Reid asks, sounding annoyed.

“No. I’m counting.”

“Well, I’m talking about you, so you might want to lend me your ear for a second.”

Huffing, I set the cash on the counter, knowing my very persistent brother won’t be quiet until I give him my full attention. “What’s up, Reid?”

Satisfied, he smiles. “You should ask her out.”

“Ask who out?”

“Ren.”

Yeah, that’s not going to happen. “No.”

I go back to counting, but Reid starts snapping his fingers at me. “Hey, I wasn’t finished.” I look back up at him, not even slightly interested in this conversation. “I saw the way she was looking at you today. I think she likes you.”

“You’re confused. She was probably just being nice, since I’m the guy who pulled her out of the window of her car after her accident. And even if she does like me, which I highly doubt, there’s no interest on my end. So that’s the end of that.”

“Bull,” Reid and Jen both say at the same time.

Christ. My two most nagging siblings are ganging up on me. Just what I need when I’m trying to get home and relax.

“Can we not make this into a dissection of my personal life, please? I’m not in the mood, and I want to get this done so I can go home.”

“Griff, she’s pretty, she’s sweet, and she’s smart. She’s new to town and, I’m sure, could use a friend,” Jen says just as the door opens, its bell chiming through the space. Brig pops in, grease all over his shirt and a smirk on his face.

Uh-oh. There’s only one reason why he’d be smirking at me that way.

“What are we talking about?” He rubs his hands together and takes a seat on a barstool near the window. “If it’s about the hot new teacher in town, I want in on this conversation.”

“I’m not asking her out,” I huff, giving up on the register and leaning against the wall behind me, arms crossed. There’s no way I’ll be able to concentrate on counting while these three are yapping in my ear.

“Why the hell not? She’s perfect for you,” Brig says, a little insulted at my rejection. “Before you even say no, you should at least get to know her a little. I told her today she could borrow your truck while her car is in the shop.”

I count to five before answering, tamping down my temper. “Why the hell would you do that?” Okay, maybe I didn’t tamp it down enough.

“Uh, because she lives three houses down from you?” Brig rolls his eyes as if I’m the stupid one in this conversation. “She needs some help, so be a knight in shining armor, dude. Help out the damsel in distress and then make out with her on the beach. Maybe cop a feel; get some for once.”

“I’m not doing that,” I answer, going back to the money, letting them know this conversation is over.

“And why not?” Jen asks.

“Because I’m not interested in starting or being in a relationship. I’m happy with how my life is right now, and I don’t need anything complicating it.”

“But she has heart eyes for you,” Brig says like a jackass.

“Don’t worry; there are plenty of Knightly brothers to choose from,” I reply.

“Come on, Griff, how fun can going home to an empty, lonely house really be?” Jen chimes in, concern evident in her voice.

Cosy Felton is great at her job—she knows just how to handle the awkwardness that comes with working at an adult toy store. So when the hottest guy she’s ever seen walks into the shop looking completely overwhelmed, she’s more than happy to turn on the charm and help him purchase all of the items on his list.

Griffin Mills is using his business trip in Las Vegas as a chance to escape the broken pieces of his life in New York City. The last thing he wants is to be put in charge of buying gag gifts for his friend’s bachelor party. Despite being totally out of his element, and mortified by the whole experience, Griffin is pleasantly surprised when he finds himself attracted to the sales girl that helped him.

As skeptical as Cosy may be of Griffin’s motivations, there’s something about him that intrigues her. But sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas and when real life gets in the way, all bets are off. Filled with hilariously awkward situations and enough sexual chemistry to power Sin City, Making Up is the next standalone in the Shacking Up world.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She’s writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.

Milo Phillips knows the meaning of pain. Suffering through
the most intense physical agony of his life, he’s confined to a hospital bed to
bear it alone. More than once, he wishes he’d died in the explosion that melted
and mangled his skin. Darkness consumes him, snuffing all the joy in his life
and leaving an empty hole in its place.
But one day, a flicker of light sneaks into his hospital
room, driving away some of the hopelessness. For the first time in months, pain
isn’t all he feels.

The flicker’s name is Sara Foster, his new nurse. Milo just
hopes that Sara can see past his scars. Because underneath, his heart has begun
beating again just for her.

Devney
is the USA Today bestselling author of the Jamison Valley
series. She lives in Montana with her husband and two children. After working
in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls
and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her kids. She loves
reading and, after consuming hundreds of books, decided to share her own
stories. Devney loves hearing from readers! Connect with
her on social media.